A former White House intern has been accused of supporting white supremacy after using the “OK” hand gesture.
In an article for the Daily Mail Thursday, Jack Breuer, who worked for senior Trump advisor Stephen Miller, is alleged to have promoted “white power” during a November photo with the president and fellow interns.
EXCLUSIVE: A White House intern flashed the “white power” sign while posing with Trump and the rest of his intern class last month. https://t.co/klhohpKQ5d via @MailOnline
— David Martosko (@dmartosko) December 28, 2017
“The gesture – which only makes sense if made with the right hand, although there are examples of people making it with their left hand – is said to depict the letter ‘W’ with the outstretched middle, ring and little fingers, and a ‘P’ with the circle made by the thumb and forefinger stretching down to the wrist.,” the article states. “Together ‘WP’ stands for White Power.”
Unfortunately for the Daily Mail, allegations that the hand symbol, which actually represents “OK,” equates to white supremacy were debunked by none other than the ADL in May of this year.
“Has the simple thumb-and-forefinger ‘OK’ hand gesture become a white supremacist hand sign? Well, no, it hasn’t, but you are likely to hear just the opposite from social media, thanks to the latest hoax from members of notorious website 4chan,” the ADL said.
Breuer, who released a statement on Twitter Thursday evening, also called the allegations unfounded.
“In some of our intern pictures, I emulated the OK sign the President sometimes makes. That was foolish. I should have listened more closely to the Commander-in-Chief and given the thumbs up,” Breuer wrote. “I’m proud of my Jewish heritage and strongly reject the hateful views associated with racist white power organizations. I would never make common cause with them.”
In some of our intern pictures, I emulated the OK sign the President sometimes makes. That was foolish. I should have listened more closely to the Commander-in-Chief and given the thumbs up. (1/2)
— Jack Breuer (@jjbreue) December 29, 2017
I’m proud of my Jewish heritage and strongly reject the hateful views associated with racist white power organizations. I would never make common cause with them. (2/2)
— Jack Breuer (@jjbreue) December 29, 2017
Despite the Daily Mail clearly making a false claim, the news outlet has refused to retract the article, instead allowing it to be shared thousands of times online.
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